Journal lubricating devices



8, 1956 J. c. TESSMER JOURNAL LUBRICATING DEVICES Filed April 15, 1954 INVENTOR JO/l/i C 7565/776/ JOURNAL LUBRICATING DEVICES John C. Tessmer, Kansas City, Mo.

Application April 15, 1954, Serial No. 423,354

1 Claim. 'ci. 308-91) This invention relates to new and useful improvements and structural refinements in lubricating devices for journals of railroad cars and the like, and the principal object of the invention is to provide a device of this type which may be quickly and easily installed in position and which will operate in a positive manner to transfer a constant and adequate supply of lubricant from a reservoir or receptacle to the journal.

Various devices have been proposed in the past to perform this function, but the use of such devices has usually involved a substantially structural rearrangement of the journal box itself. Inasmuch as railroad equipment is highly standarized, it is obvious that even a slight change in construction has far reaching eliects and for this reason most of the conventional lubricating devices of this nature have not been adopted for use.

The instant invention eliminates this difiiculty by providing a device which, as a unit, may be readily installed in a journal box of any conventional type and which, by the same token, may be readily removed from the journal box when so desired.

Some of the other advantages of the invention reside in its simple construction, dependable operation, and in its adaptability to convenient servicing.

With the above more important objects and features in view and such other objects and features such as may become apparent as this specification proceeds, the invention resides in the details of construction and arrangement of parts as shown in the annexed drawings wherein like reference numerals are used to designate like parts and wherein:

Figure l is a vertical sectional view of a journal box showing the invention in situ:

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional view, taken substantially in the plane of the line 22 in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the lubricating device per se;

Figure 4 is a sectional detail on an enlarged scale, taken substantially in the plane of the line 4--4 in Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary exploded perspective view illustrating one end portion of the lubricant transfer roller; and

Figure 6 is a fragmentary sectional view, similar to that shown in Figure 2 but illustrating a slightly modified form of the invention.

With reference now to the accompanying drawings in detail, the general reference numeral 10 designates a conventional journal box having a journal 12 rotatably mounted therein by a bearing 14. The invention consists of a journal lubricating device 16 which, as a unit, is removably positioned in the lower portion of the journal box under the journal 12.

The lubricating device 16 embodies in its construction an elongated tray-shaped lubricant receptacle or reservoir 18 having a transverse partition 20 provided therein, which separates the receptacle into a relatively large well portion 22 and a relatively small bay portion 24. The partition 20 is formed with one or more openings 26 whereby the 2,760,833 Patented Aug. 28, 1956 ICC 1 well and the bay portions thereof are in communication and lubricant deposited into the bay portion will find its own level in the well portion.

A pair of opposing guide boxes 28 are provided in the well portion 22, one of these boxes being carried by the partition 20 while the other box is carried by the inner end wall of the receptacle 18. The boxes 28 are closed at the bottom and open at the top thereof and accommodate therein a pair of vertically slidable bearing blocks 30.

A-lubricant transfer roller 32 is disposed in the well portion 22 of the receptacle 18 between the guide boxes 28 and consists of a tubular body having a pair of end pieces 34 mounted in the end portions thereof, the end pieces being equipped with projecting trunnions 36 which are rotatable in the bearing blocks 30. Pairs of compression springs 38 are provided in the guide boxes 28 under the bearing blocks 30 for urging the latter upwardly, whereby the roller 32 is sustained in engagement with the journal 12.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that when lubricant is placed in the receptacle 18, it will be picked up by the roller 32 and transferred to the journal 12 while the journal rotates, whereby constant, adequate and positive lubrication of the journal will be attained. It is to be particularly noted that while the axis of the roller 32 is parallel to the axis of the journal, it is offset laterally from the vertical plane in which the axis of the journal is disposed, as indicated at 40. This offset is of importance in view of the fact that when the railroad car is subjected to rough treatment such as bumping or jarring, the journal 12 often becomes displaced from its bearing 14. However, the offset positioning of the roller together with the action of the springs 38 assures that the roller remains in proper operative contact with the journal at all times.

As is best shown in Figure 4, spring seating plates 42 are positioned at the bottom of the guide boxes 28 and are provided with struck out portions 44 which function as keeper seats for the springs. 1

To prevent any possible splashing of lubricant, the well portion 22 of the receptacle 18 is provided at the top thereof with a pair of cover members 46 which extend from the sides of the well portion toward the roller, but leave the roller unobstructed. In a slightly modified form of the invention shown in Figure 6 such cover members are not provided, but the sides of the receptacle are extended upwardly to afford a pair of splash shields 48 at the sides of the well portion 22a.

In either event, to eliminate any possible leakage of lubricant past the inner end of the journal, at wiper block 50 is positioned between the journal and the adjacent guide box 28 of the receptacle, the wiper block being disposed at one end of the roller 32 as shown.

While in the foregoing there have been shown and described the preferred embodiments of the invention, various other modifications may become apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention relates. Accordingly, it is not desired to limit the scope of the invention to this disclosure, but various changes and modifications may be resorted to, such as may lie within the spirit and scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed as new is:

The combination of a journal box having a journal rotatable therein, and a lubricating device comprising a horizontally elongated lubricant receptacle removably positioned in the lower portion of said journal box under said journal and having inner and outer ends, a transverse apertured partition provided in said receptacle adjacent the outer end thereof and separating the same into a relatively large well portion and a relatively small bay portion, said bay portion having an open top and communicating with said well portion through the apertures in said partition, a pair of opposing guide boxes provided in said well portion on said partition and at the inner end of said receptacle respectively, a pair of bearing blocks slidable vertically in the respective guide boxes and provided with coaxial bores, a hollow lubricant transfer roller extending between said bearing blocks and projecting above said receptacle, plug-shaped end pieces secured in opposite end portions of said roller, coaxial trunnions provided on the respective end pieces and rotatably disposed in the bores of the respective bearing blocks, the axis of said roller being parallel to but oflset laterally from the vertical plane in which the axis of said journal is disposed, spring seats provided at the bottom of said guide boxes, compression springs interposed between said spring seats and 5 7 4 said bearing blocks for urging said roller upwardly in operative engagement with the underside of said journal, and a pair of lubricant splash shields provided at the top of the Well portion of said receptacle at the opposite sides of said roller.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,340,808 Urbieta May 18, 1920 2,170,471 Echevarria Aug. 22, 1939 FOREIGN PATENTS 6,131 Germany July 15, 1879 

